Synergistic Biodegradation and Detoxification of High Alkaline Textile Effluent by Acinetobacter indicus KUHKSN-02 and Native Microbiome Aided Bioaugmentation.

Textile effluent is a chemically complex wastewater containing azo dyes, high alkalinity and recalcitrant organic pollutants. Its untreated discharge poses serious ecological risks and requires sustainable management before release. The comparative efficiency of monoculture treatment and native microbiome assisted bioaugmentation in real highly alkaline textile effluent remains insufficiently documented. This study evaluated the biodegradation and detoxification potential of Acinetobacter indicus KUHKSN-02, isolated from effluent-contaminated soil, under sterile monoculture and non-sterile native microbiome aided conditions. Results shown reduced pollution load evidenced by drastic decrease in physicochemical parameters by both monoculture (COD to 391 ± 6 mg/L and BOD to 18.73 ± 0.25 mg/L) and native bacterial community (COD to 194.3 ± 2.51 mg/L, BOD to 13.5 ± 0.36 mg/L, and TDS to 998.3 ± 6.5 mg/L), with a highest decolorization of 97.72%. FTIR analysis confirmed alterations in functional groups, while HR-LCMS Orbitrap detected Acid Red 18, Acid Orange 7, and Acid Yellow 36 in the raw effluent and in degradation intermediates such as aniline, 2-oxindole, anthranilic acid and betaine after treatment. The Oryza sativa phytotoxicity assay confirmed detoxification, with germination increasing from 0% in raw effluent to 73.33-93.33% after treatment. These findings demonstrate that native microbiome-aided bioaugmentation enhanced biodegradation and detoxification efficiency compared with monoculture treatment. Future studies should validate this approach under field conditions using metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis.